prisons – The Church of England in Parliament

Sentencing Bill: Bishop of Leeds tables amendment on purpose of imprisonment

On 26th November 2025, the Bishop of Leeds spoke to the Bishop of Gloucester’s amendment to the Sentencing Bill, which would seek to give a statutory definition to the purpose of imprisonment:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, I shall speak to Amendment 45A in the place of the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Gloucester, who, regrettably, is not able to be here today. It seems that in wider society there is a greater push for harsher punishment and longer sentences, and there is a tension with what the purpose of such punishment is. This amendment is designed to provide some elucidation on that. It would define in law the purposes of imprisonment and require the courts and the Secretary of State to have regard to the purposes of imprisonment.

Bishop of Manchester asks about resourcing for prison chaplains

The Bishop of Manchester asked a question on better resourcing of prison chaplains during a discussion on the transition from youth to adult custody for prisoners on 3rd November 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, the age when young people transfer from the youth system to the adult system is precisely the age when they are most trying to identify themselves and understand their faith and spirituality. Prison chaplains do an excellent job across the youth estate. Could the Minister give us some hints as to how they might be better supported and resourced to prepare young people at that time of transition, both in their lives and in the prison estate?

Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill: Bishop of Chelmsford supports amendments on bullying and children with imprisoned parents

The Bishop of Chelmsford spoke in favour of two amendments to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill on 16th September 2025, first on introducing a duty on schools to record incidences of racism or interfaith bullying, and secondly on the commissioning of a report on improving educational attainment for children with a parent in prison:

The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford: My Lords, I speak in support of Amendment 464 knowing that, had my right reverend friend the Bishop of Lincoln been in his place, he would very much have wanted to contribute to the debate. If passed, this amendment would introduce a duty on schools to record and report any incidents of racism or faith-based bullying on school premises.

It would also help diocesan boards of education in collating and monitoring such cases and better assisting those church schools which might benefit from support.

In preparing for this speech, I spoke to our own director of education in Chelmsford diocese, whose team oversees 139 church schools. She told me that this proposed amendment had the potential to help the board of education strengthen anti-bullying and inclusive practices in partnership with schools.

Bishop of Gloucester asks about recall of offenders on licence

The Bishop of Gloucester asked a question on recall of offenders released on licence to prison on 19th May 2025, criticising a “one size fits all” approach to the issue and raising the risks posed to domestic violence victims:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, as has been said, this stopgap measure really shines a spotlight on the whole issue of recalls, which have grown exponentially in recent years. Some 75% are for non-compliance, which is hugely detrimental to the big aim of transformed lives, which holds both victim and offender together. First, will the Minister assure us that his Majesty’s Government will look at recall in the light of the independent sentencing review, which is soon to be published? Secondly, there will be those in the process whose recall is seemingly for minor breaches, whereas in fact there may be a danger of control and fear instilled in victims of domestic abuse. We need to bring complexity into our thinking, rather than one size fits all. Will the Minister give reassurance to victims of domestic abuse that that is being taken seriously in this policy?

Bishop of Lichfield asks about reintegration of ex-offenders

The Bishop of Lichfield tabled a question on government support for ex-offenders to support their transition from life in prison and their reintegration into society on 15th May 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Lichfield: To ask His Majesty’s Government what support they are providing for ex-offenders to support their transition from life in prison and their reintegration into society.

Bishop of Gloucester asks about training and development for prison staff

The Bishop of Gloucester asked a question improving training and development for prison staff on 13th May 2025, following a government statement on an assault against a prison guard at HMP Belmarsh:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: Prison staff work with a wide range of prisoners, from those who are the most violent to the many who are in prison for repeated low-level offending—many of whom have mental health issues and drug addictions—yet the training for prison staff is woefully short: a matter of weeks. I think that people would be shocked to hear how short that is. What is being done to expand that training and development so that staff not only feel valued but are equipped to deal with such a wide range of situations?

Bishop of Derby asks about tackling homelessness

The Bishop of Derby asked a question on support for those leaving prison and at risk of becoming homeless on 30th April 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Derby: My Lords, this feels very close to home. The BBC recently reported that the number of people who spent at least one night sleeping rough in Derby in 2024 was 63% higher than in 2023. In the Government’s annual rough sleeping snapshot, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government reported that 10% of everyone sleeping rough across the UK had left institutions such as prison. I welcome the announcement that councils across England will receive £1 billion of funding to reduce and prevent homelessness. As the Bishop with particular responsibility for youth offenders, I ask the Minister how her department intends to work with councils to ensure that sufficient investment is appropriately and effectively allocated specifically to support young adults who are leaving prison.

Bishop of Gloucester asks about contact systems in young offenders institutions

The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answer on 30th April 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the relative impact of providing (1) a PIN telephone system, and (2) in-cell telephones, on the number of calls prisoners and young offenders make to (a) family members, (b) support workers, and (c) others in the community.

Bishop of Gloucester asks about licence conditions for those under Imprisonment for Public Protection sentences

The Bishop of Gloucester asked a question on communication around termination of licence conditions during a discussion on those under Imprisonment for Public Protection sentences on 24th March 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, taking into account what has been said already, I welcome the enactment of the provisions in the Victims and Prisoners Act, passed by the last Government, allowing termination of licence conditions for IPP prisoners. However, there are huge legal complexities involved, so I wonder what steps the Government are taking to ensure that those eligible to terminate their licence conditions actually understand their rights and are able to exercise them.

Bishop of Lichfield asks about probation service and suicide in prisons

The Bishop of Lichfield received the following written answers on 13th March 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Lichfield asked His Majesty’s Government what the average caseload of probation officers in England and Wales was in each year of the last decade.

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